‘Normal People’ author Sally Rooney’s books are leaving the UK market — and it’s over Palestine Action support

Irish author Sally Rooney’s publisher Faber has announced that it will stop supplying her books in the UK over legal concerns stemming from her support for Palestine Action. — AFP pic

First Published: Thursday, 15 Oct 2026 9:07 AM MYT

LONDON, Oct 15 — Irish author Sally Rooney can no longer sell her books in the UK because of her support for the activist group Palestine Action, her publisher Faber said yesterday.

Rooney has previously expressed her support for the group, which was banned as a “terrorist” organisation by the UK government in July 2025. It is not banned in Ireland, where Rooney lives.

The proscription, which the organisation is appealing, puts Palestine Action on the same blacklist as militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah, making it illegal in the UK to be part of, support or finance it.

“Current legislation in the UK has led to circumstances where Faber cannot pass on UK earnings to Sally Rooney for her work. To sell a writer’s work and not be able to pass on earnings is an unconscionable situation for a publisher,” Faber said in a statement on its website.

“As such, and in full agreement with Sally, we have taken the decision that we can no longer supply her works in the UK in any format,” the British publisher said, adding that it would continue to sell her work in other countries and regions.

The best-selling author of Normal People and Intermezzo previously said she would donate earnings to Palestine Action, and told the High Court in London that the proscription would have an impact on freedom of expression.

“As a result, the fulfilment of contracts to publish my work in the UK could now constitute a serious criminal offence,” Rooney said in a statement shared with AFP.

“After a process of consultation and deliberation, and with my full agreement, my publisher Faber has therefore determined that it can no longer supply my work within the UK,” the author said, adding she was prepared to “accept the consequences” of her beliefs.

Britain’s Supreme Court is set to hear an appeal against the ban from the group’s cofounder Huda Ammori next month.

Thousands of people have protested against the ban and been detained in the process, while rights groups and some public figures have condemned the ban as criminalising dissent.

Palestine Action’s stated goal on its website is to end “global participation in Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime.”

Its proscription came after a series of high-profile stunts protesting the war in Gaza, including targeting weapons factories especially those belonging to Israeli arms group Elbit. — AFP